Published: Jun 26th, 2023

A career fair is an excellent opportunity for job seekers and employers alike to explore their options. If you're looking for a new position, this type of event can be pivotal, helping you make industry connections and potentially lock down an interview with a company you're interested in.

Shaking hands with hiring managers and networking with recruiters is a critical first step on the path to your dream career. However, nothing's in the bag yet. The actions you take following the event are arguably the most important.

If you're wondering what to do after a career fair, or more specifically, how to follow up with a recruiter after a career fair, you've come to the right place. Read on for tips on reaching out to recruiters via email, along with templates and examples of follow-up emails to send after a career fair.

Career fair follow-up email example

Knowing the best practices of how to write a follow-up email after a career fair is definitely helpful. But seeing an example of a well-crafted career fair thank-you letter might be enough to get you started.

Here's what a great follow-up career fair email looks like.

You can copy-paste the text of that hard-working follow-up career fair email below:

Subject: Following up on our conversation at JobFairX

Hi Dr. Wilson,

I'm Charlie Mitchell, a recent Arizona State University magna cum laude grad.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me at yesterday's career fair. It was exciting to learn about what's in the pipeline for Woodwell Climate Research Center, and I'd be thrilled for the opportunity to interview for an open role.

My current resume and a list of professional references are attached.

Again, thank you for your time and consideration.

Best,

Charlie Mitchell

805-555-0101

This follow-up career fair email example is gracious, professional, polite, and direct. It covers all the necessary points while still being quick and easy to read.

How to follow up after a career fair via email

Now let's get into how to write a career fair follow-up email that lands you an interview. When sending a thank-you email after a job fair, be sure to:

Read on for more insight into each point.

1. Reach out to the right person

The most important to-do is reaching out to the right person. Otherwise, your follow-up career fair email may never be read, let alone seen, and your efforts will have been futile. If the recruiter or hiring manager handed you their business card at the event, go with that. If not, you may need to poke around on the company website.

Additionally, make sure you address the hiring manager not only with the right name and title but also with the correct spelling. If they hold specific credentials such as a doctorate, address them appropriately (Professor, Dr., etc.).

2. Craft a strong career fair follow-up email subject line

In terms of getting a response, your subject line is crucial. It should be simple, direct, and grammatically correct — though you don't need to use punctuation at the end.

For example, "Following up on our conversation at JobFairX" or "Thanks for chatting with me at the career fair."

3. Remind them who you are and where you met

In the body of the email, the first thing you'll want to do is remind the recruiter who you are and where you met. While you may have already mentioned the career fair in the subject line, remember that employers meet dozens of candidates per event and may have recently attended multiple job fairs.

We recommend opening with something like, "I'm Alex Martinez, a grad student at MIT. We met at yesterday's job fair." This covers all the bases: your full name, your current educational status or employment, and where they know you from.

4. Thank them for their time at the job fair

Once you've addressed the hiring manager and reintroduced yourself, express your gratitude for the opportunity to connect with them. Thank the person for their time at the event — however brief your meeting was.

For instance, you might say, "Thank you so much for taking the time to connect" or "I really appreciate you chatting with me at the event."

5. Express interest in working for the company

Next, express your interest in working for the company and share what you could bring to the table. Though you want to come off as sincere and enthusiastic, this part of the follow-up career fair email should be relatively brief — one or two sentences will suffice.

For example, "I think my experience as a junior data analyst makes me a great fit for Cloudera. I'm eager to learn more about the open positions and would be thrilled to be considered for an interview."

6. Keep it short and straightforward

While it can be tempting to go into great detail about your experience, credentials, and interest in the company, keeping things short and to the point is usually best. Bear in mind that hiring managers are often busy and swamped with emails, especially after a job fair.

Avoid giving them more work to do by writing a lengthy email. They can review your resume or portfolio for more information and schedule a screening interview to find out whether you might be a fit.

7. Thank them again briefly

How should you end a thank-you email after meeting a recruiter? With another thank you. Before signing off with your name and contact info, close with something like, "Thank you for your time and consideration" or "Thanks again for your time."

8. Use professional language

While shorter emails are generally better, that doesn't mean they should be casual. Be sure to write in complete sentences, use professional wording, pay attention to grammar, and avoid slang.

Some millennial-run businesses and startups are laid-back and might welcome (or even expect) applicants to use casual language that aligns with their company culture. Consider your audience, look through the website to get an idea of the jargon, and if you're ever unsure, err on the professional side.

9. Attach your resume

Even if you handed your resume to the company rep at the event, make sure to attach it to your email. If you have an online portfolio, link that too. Additionally, put your full name, phone number, and email address below your sign-off.

10. Proofread before sending!

Don't hit the send button until you've proofread your email at least a couple of times. Consider reading it out loud, having someone else go over it, or waiting an hour or two so you can review it again with fresh eyes. Luckily, proofreading a short email shouldn't take more than a minute each time.

Career fair follow-up email templates

Now that you're up to speed on the best practices for sending a follow-up email, you should be able to draft your own. To help you put everything together, we created a few fill-in-the-blank templates below.

Template 1

Subject: Following up on our conversation at [name of career fair]

Hi [recruiter name],

I'm [your name]. We met at [name of career fair] — thanks for taking the time to chat.

I loved hearing about [something that was discussed], and I think my [something about your qualifications] makes me an excellent fit for [company name].

I'm eager to learn more about [the open role or the company as a whole] and would be thrilled to be considered for an interview.

Thank you for your time.

I've attached my resume and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best,

[Your name]

[Your phone number]

[Your email address]

Template 2

Subject: Thanks for connecting at [name of career fair]

Hello [recruiter name],

My name is [your name]. I really enjoyed talking to you about [company name] at [name of career fair]. Thank you so much for taking the time to connect.

I'm thoroughly impressed by [company's achievements, goals, or plans for growth] and would be honored to be considered for an interview. I believe my [something about your qualifications] would be an asset for [team name, department name, or company name].

My [resume and/or portfolio] is [attached and/or linked below]. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks again,

[Your name]

[Your phone number]

[Your email address]

Template 3

Subject: Following up on our chat at [name of career fair]

Hi [recruiter name],

It's [your name], from the [name of career fair]. I wanted to thank you for chatting with me [yesterday or day of event].

As I mentioned, I'd be thrilled for a chance to interview for the [open position] role. My education and experience strongly align with what you're looking for, and I believe I'd be an asset to [team name, department name, or company name].

I've [attached and/or linked] my [resume and/or portfolio] for your reference and hope to hear back from you soon.

Thanks again for your time.

Cheers,

[Your name]

[Your phone number]

[Your email address]

Making your next career move

Don't wait to make your next career move. The best time to send a follow-up career fair email is the next day. If you can't be that quick, try to send it within a few days of the event.

What if you don't get a response? If you don't hear back from the hiring manager within a week, it doesn't mean they won't respond or aren't interested in connecting. After a couple of weeks with no reply, you can shoot them a short note to get your email back to the top of their inbox.

Want to connect with more employers in your area? Explore virtual JobFairX career fairs near you.

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